Ms. Spam Posted August 9, 2023 Share Posted August 9, 2023 I have to avoid a park I like to walk in for a few months until things cool down because mountain bikers are douchebags or at least ones with an axe to grind for "Non-Biking" people in cars or walking. I recently got diagnosed with diabetes because, well, I'm fat. So I've been walking a lot after school in a park by my house. It's huge like 950 acres and has dozens of mile+ long trails you can walk or ride your bikes on. It's got mixed use trails so some are paved, some are dirt and some are a concrete for handicapped people. I was there last night walking a loop trail and just enjoying the wildlife. Usually I see a raptor and lots of does and bucks with their velvet antlers, once a bobcat and raccoons. I was leaving last night in my car listening to California Dreamin' on my radio and some deer came out of the side of the road because there's a spot that a lady comes and feeds them and gives them water because we're in a drought so I went around them and it pushed me to the middle of the road. I was driving way under the speed limit because there's lots of runners and bikers besides animals that come out. I was coming back to the right side of my road when this mountain biker runs a stop sign in a parking lot that comes out onto the road I was on and swerves and he sees me and comes directly at my car. Not around my car or stopping. He rides directly up to the front of my car and stops with his tire touching the front bumper of my car because I stopped. He starts yelling "Do you need the whole ROAD? Why are you here?" He never lets me explain and I was right on the yellow line so most of my car was almost in the correct lane. I tried to tell him if he moves out of the way I will get further on my side. He just kept yelling at me that I should move but I can't because he's blocking the way with his bike. Cars are coming up behind me so I can't back up. I asked him 5 times to move his bike. He is just telling me no that I can go on. So I put my car in park. He then pops his bike up seeing another car coming from the other direction, uncleets from his mountain bike and throws it down on the road in front of my car. He then runs up to this lady in the car coming up and says did you see that? SHE HIT ME! She's texting and driving. He did ask for my insurance but I refused to give it to him because I didn't see this an accident but a guy having a huge tantrum. I think the best part was that he actually said I was racist because he's Mexican and that I bent the frame of his mountain bike and it's worth 14,000$. He calls me a Karen and says I ran over his bike. At that point I rolled up my windows and stopped trying to talk to him. I dialed 911 and reported it and him and asked for the police to come. I can't tell what race he is. He's wearing a bike helmet and he's got tattoos and his shorts he bikes in are pressed and he's wearing a button down shirt and he's got his bike cleets on but I can't tell if he's black, white or Mexican. I just know he's trying to make the biggest scene over nothing because maybe he's a bike activist? I tried to explain again that I was not on my phone texting and he can see my phone as my last text was at 2:46 PM and that was trying to course correct my car because I'd been avoiding some deer. This is a big biker area and a lot of bikers are all, "are you alright? did she hit you?" and he says yes and continues to call me Karen when he's just going on and on. At some point waiting for the Park Police I took out my camp chair I keep the back of my car and sat behind my car in it because he's still refusing to remove his bike from the road and now he's called the cops. He tells the dispatcher that I am now getting a chair out of my car and "she's a fat old woman with ugly pink shoes and blue pants and a purple shirt". He says the frame is bent and insists I hit him. And I maybe drunk. I took a picture of the front of my car to prove only a little dirt has been removed from my bumper where he put his tire but not scuffs or damage. He's putting on a show and basically telling me I don't know crap about bikes and I'll know when I get the bill from a bike repair shop for his bent frame. It's a Specialized Mountain Bike with maybe a nice Shimano cassette and maybe worth 2500 but not 14,000. I know bikes. I can do work on bikes. I owned a Trek. I enjoy biking. My sisters old boyfriend had a Bianchi for competing in Iron Man Triathlons. When the cops show up they move us off the road. He gets my story then he gets this guys story and then he talks to the witnesses in the car that had come up. The first question the cop asked that guy after getting our story is, "Why were you in the middle of the road? Can you not bike around her vehicle? There was still plenty of room on the road." He answered "A lot of people ride around here texting and driving and not paying attention." He had no id on him. I gave my insurance and ID. I got nervous when a lady cop showed up. I took pics of his bike and he was all are you trying to take my pic because I'm handsome? Better than you could get. I was like no, trying to get a pic for proof of how the bike is right now. There was only a scuff on his seat where he'd thrown the bike down. The cops told me to leave him alone and go the front of my car while they ran our information. No tickets given out. The cop even told me that the striping on the road is hard to see and he thought this would be the last I would hear from this guy as he gave us an incident card and the dude biked off going BYE KAREN. I apologized to the cops for calling them out and I think he was a bike activist with an axe to grind and it's the heat. His bike ran fine. I went home. I cried a bit and now wait to hear from my insurance company because he seems like the kind of jerk who would try and make a claim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerina Posted August 9, 2023 Share Posted August 9, 2023 Jesus. H. Christ. Some people... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUAJedi2 Posted August 9, 2023 Share Posted August 9, 2023 Carry bear spray with you. If it happens again, blast the person in the face and when the cops show up, cry and tell them you were afraid for your life. [Edit: Do not really do this.] Also, if you're a bike rider, and not an asshole, I am sorry, but I hate bike riders with the fury of 10,000 supernovas. We have lots of road riders around here, and I can't count the times I've seen them do stupid/rude/belligerent shit, then get all butthurt like it was someone else being doucheweasels and "We hAvE a RiGht To bE oN tHe roAd!!!1!" Sorry this happened to you Ms Spam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odine Posted August 9, 2023 Share Posted August 9, 2023 Fuck don't get me started on road cyclists. So I live in small town rural England. With narrow windy 2 lane and single lane unmarked roads the norm. Traffic is usually pretty heavy considering how populated our town is, and there is always some god damned lycra clad fuckwit 40+ year old men in pelatons or solo riding in the middle of the fucking road. I get it. You're a road user too, and you have every right to ride your bike. But at least put some fucking effort into it and grind up those hills, or move to the side of the road. I don't wanna run you over, but damnit I gotta get my kid to/from kindi or I'll get fined 15 quid for being late. That said, I love riding bikes. Cycling enthusiasts can go do one though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted August 9, 2023 Author Share Posted August 9, 2023 He really brings biking a bad name. Nothing yet from my insurance company. I called them this morning just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted August 9, 2023 Author Share Posted August 9, 2023 The douchebag in question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.CAllen Posted August 9, 2023 Share Posted August 9, 2023 Oh dear! Usually my sympathies are with the bike people — I’m not one, they frighten me when they ride on the sidewalk (MY DOMAIN!), but nevertheless and nonetheless they are not car people and are thus uneasy allies against the common enemy of all peoples (a second Permian–Triassic extinction!) — but in this case it sounds like he was very much in the wrong. I’m sorry this happened to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUAJedi2 Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 8 hours ago, R.CAllen said: ... uneasy allies against the common enemy of all peoples (a second Permian–Triassic extinction!) ... Nice! If I think of cyclists looking like Edaphosaurus I might not be so annoyed when a big clump of them blocks the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Skywalker Posted August 11, 2023 Share Posted August 11, 2023 People are effing nuts nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedigoat Posted August 11, 2023 Share Posted August 11, 2023 "When you play douchebag games you get douchebag results" sounds like a parody of a Jason Aldean song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted August 11, 2023 Author Share Posted August 11, 2023 Hahaha. That’s what I was aiming for. He found my phone number and is calling and leaving voicemails while I am work wanting me to buy him a new bike. Nope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUAJedi2 Posted August 11, 2023 Share Posted August 11, 2023 Two words: restraining order Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainbleh Posted August 11, 2023 Share Posted August 11, 2023 I know what bike model (and its year) he has and what it would have cost new (but I doubt he paid list price for his), but would knowing that make your anxiety worse? This sounds like the cycling equivalent of walking out in front of a car, making it stop, and then throwing yourself on the hood to extort money. Horrible. Another reason for getting a dash cam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbes Posted August 11, 2023 Share Posted August 11, 2023 I saw this guy and immediately thought of this thread and decided to take a picture. For some reason this made me irrationally angry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted August 12, 2023 Author Share Posted August 12, 2023 LOL. I went to a bike shop today just to look around and while yes his bike is expensive he'd used it for a while and if a mountain bike has a bent frame from being thrown to the ground it's not worth the money a person who ACTUALLY mountain bikes paid for it. So said the bike shop owner after I told him what happened. What a bother. I had to actually give a recorded statement to my insurance company. I feel like suing this guy for loss of time because I had to take an hour on Friday to speak with my insurance company but I am against frivolous lawsuits. But it's becoming a nuisance. I literally made eye contact with him as he turned and came at me on the road and was stopped before he even made it to my car because I saw him coming dead at me and my car. He's claiming I was texting and driving but I could literally see the moment he decided to do this in his eyes. And now one of my favorite parks is not able to be walked at all because I have to avoid him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedigoat Posted August 12, 2023 Share Posted August 12, 2023 22 hours ago, Hobbes said: I saw this guy and immediately thought of this thread and decided to take a picture. For some reason this made me irrationally angry. Angry with jealousy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odine Posted August 15, 2023 Share Posted August 15, 2023 It's the shirt off for me. You're not at the beach, put a f ing shirt on ya douche Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted August 15, 2023 Author Share Posted August 15, 2023 I kinda admire a guy who can unicycle. That takes more than say regular bike balance. I hope he doesn't have armpit stink. There's some I can smell coming at the park because they're gross sweaty and maybe don't take regular showers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamevet Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 12 hours ago, Ms. Spam said: I kinda admire a guy who can unicycle. That takes more than say regular bike balance. I hope he doesn't have armpit stink. There's some I can smell coming at the park because they're gross sweaty and maybe don't take regular showers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedigoat Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 I wasn't expecting to feel irrationally angry today, but it happened. While I was walking down to my mailbox, a guy rolled past me on an electric unicycle. I guess unicyclists just bring it out of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUAJedi2 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 Why are electric unicycles even a thing? Also, Ms. Spam, we need an update! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainbleh Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 6 hours ago, RUAJedi2 said: Why are electric unicycles even a thing? Also, Ms. Spam, we need an update! A unicycle is better than a bicycle in some ways for compact / portable personal transport, but most people can't ride normal unicycles so the electric self-balancing ones are ba-dum-tish revolutionary I'm only angry with shirtless unicycle guy because he's cycling around pedestrians, something I stopped doing on a bicycle ages ago. The nearest cycle / walker path to me isn't that wide and I always dismount if I need to overtake pedestrians Lots of cyclists like to complain about dangerous drivers and I agree with them, but they can also be very dismissive when pedestrians complain about cyclists getting too close Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUAJedi2 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 I actually kinda want an electric unicycle now, ngl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Spam Posted August 17, 2023 Author Share Posted August 17, 2023 11 hours ago, Jedigoat said: I wasn't expecting to feel irrationally angry today, but it happened. While I was walking down to my mailbox, a guy rolled past me on an electric unicycle. I guess unicyclists just bring it out of people. That is exactly what I hate about them. Pedestrians first. I also hate it when they come down a trail going "on your left" and I can hear them coming a mile away because they're subjecting me to their bad music choices on their phones through a speaker. I walk as far over to the side as I can get safely. Oddly I love rollerbladers who did the same thing but mostly because a rollerblader told me good on you for getting out and walking daily. Update: So as of today I haven't had a call or anything. My insurance company basically told him to piss up a rope on getting a new bike since they feel he was not abiding by biking rules of the road. It's a good thing I waited for the cops to come. The police report kinda painted it as no fault and more of a angry words type thing and the pics I took of the bike helped. I think he's a douchebag still. HA! I was also told by the insurance company if he keeps calling he's going to get a nuisance complaint and for me to call the cops if he calls me as they now have his address and phone number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoLA Posted August 18, 2023 Share Posted August 18, 2023 Get a dashcam! I have one for my car just in case of situations like this. If you had one when this happened, you could have just showed the cops the video after to prove what happened right there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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